Back in 2021, I’ve tried to read These Hollow Vows, but wasn’t as much of a fan. Earlier this summer, I’ve reread it and I liked it. So when the sequel, These Twisted Bonds, got released in July, I wanted to know how the story would end for Brie, Bash and Finn. Beware for spoilers of the first book in this review.

Title: These Twisted Bonds
Author: Lexi Ryan
Series: These Hollow Vows #2
Publication date: July 19, 2022
Publisher: Clarion Books
ISBN: 9780358386582
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Brie finds herself caught between two princes and two destinies while the future of the fae realm hangs in the balance.
After Abriella’s sister was sold to the fae, she thought life couldn’t get any worse. But when she suddenly finds herself caught in a web of lies of her own making ­- loving two princes and trusting neither – things are not quite as clear as she once thought.
As civil war wages in the Court of Darkness, Brie finds herself unable to choose a side. How can she know where she stands when she doesn’t even know herself anymore? In this darkly romantic thrill ride, the more Faerie is torn apart from the inside, the clearer it becomes that prophecies don’t lie and Brie has a role to play in the fate of this magical realm – whether she likes it or not.

In this book, we follow Brie as she continues on her journey. She’s bonded to Bash, but is also in love with Finn. She has to choose between the two fae males she loves dearly for separate reasons. Both males are fighting for her attention, but also want to unite the Fae court. Especially Finn, as his court is dying. Brie seems to be the only one who can actually do this. Will she succeed? Unfortunately, I wasn’t fond off any of these characters. Brie was more naive than in the first book and actually a bit shallow. Moreover, I didn’t like the boys that much either. In fact, I can’t even remember what they were like after one month, that’s how well they stuck with me.

Lexi Ryan choose to let the characters travel a lot between several courts and realms. Therefore, we got a glimpse of the world this story is set in. We actually get it in These Hollow Vows, but not as much as in These Twisted Bonds. However, it didn’t stand out to me actually. Nor did the plot. To me, it felt like this sequel was too much. After a month – yes I shouldn’t have left this review hanging for so long but I was too unmotivated to blog – I barely can’t remember a thing that happened. The ending was quite expected though. Somewhat predictbale, but sometimes that’s okay. However, this duology isn’t the best faerie series out there, it has some similarities with another famous series which happen to be my favourite. We all know what that one is. The writing was fine whereas I could finish the book quickly, even though the plot was that great.

Overall, I wasn’t the biggest fan of These Twisted Bonds. The entire book and it’s characters plot didn’t stick with me, you can clearly notice by this review. I had several pleasant hours listening to the audiobook, but it’s quite forgetable. It’s not bad, but not that good either. Just okay for if you need a quick read.